Professor Julie Morrissey

Supervisor Details

Contact Details

Department of Genetics, Genomics and Cancer Sciences, University of Leicester

Scientific Background

Research Interests

I am interested in how bacteria adapt to different environmental conditions to change their behaviour to increase colonisation and infection. I work with several bacterial species (Staphylococcus aureus and Moraxella catarrhalis) investigating stress adaptation mechanisms, including particulate matter (black carbon, brake dust) and metals (copper). Our team also investigate the impact of pollutants on host-bacterial interaction using human epithelial infection models showing that direct interaction of pollutants with bacterial pathogens increases infectivity and interaction with human respiratory cells. I am very enthusiastic about supporting my students and my previous students have gone on to academia, Food Standards Agency, Foreign Office, industry, aerospace engineering and several are PDRAs in our team or with collaborators.

Research Groups

Microbial Sciences and Infectious Disease Centre (LeMID)

NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Chemical Threats and Hazards

Supervision Style

In three words or phrases: supportive, collaborative, outcome-oriented

Provision of Training

We prefer to take responsibility for your technical training as a team with myself and my experienced post docs/PhD students at first, leading to more independence later.

Progression Monitoring and Management

I like to be kept up to date, and will expect to see evidence of method development/data generation results on a weekly basis. If these progression criteria are not met we will always discuss a plan of action together.

Communication

I am happy to discuss issues that are impacting your ability to fulfil your potential or my/our expectations.

Meetings

PhD Students can expect scheduled meetings with me at least once per week. These meetings will be face-to-face. I have an open door policy, but my pattern of being contactable for an instant response is not predictable.

Work Patterns

Work in my lab requires being present on site (be it in a laboratory or at a field site) during the core hours of 10am - 5pm (or a subset if working part time).

Notice Period for Feedback

I need at least 2 weeks' notice to provide feedback on written work of up to 5,000 words.

MIBTP Project Details

Primary supervisor for:

How air pollution increases bacterial interaction with the respiratory tract.

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

How air pollution increases bacterial interaction with the respiratory tract.

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Jo Purves

University of Registration: University of Leicester

BBSRC Research Themes:

Understanding the Rules of Life (Microbiology)

Project Outline

Air pollution is the world's largest single environmental health risk. Particulate matter (PM), a key component of air pollution is strongly associated with increased respiratory and infectious diseases. How PM directly affects respiratory bacteria has received little attention, which is surprising considering the importance of these bacteria in maintaining health and as pathogens.

Our data show that exposure to PM increases bacterial colonisation, changes biofilm formation and alters tolerance to antibiotics. Phenotypic changes are induced though direct interaction of particulates with the bacterial cell surface to alter gene expression. All bacteria investigated show similar phenotypic responses. But we still do not understand how particulate interaction with the bacterial cell surface specifically changes gene expression.

The aim of this project is to further explore this novel mechanism of air pollution and determine how PM affects bacterial infection.

Objectives are:

1. Establish the molecular mechanisms involved in the PM-responsive regulation of virulence factors.

2. Determine the importance of PM-regulated biological pathways in infection and antimicrobial resistance.

Research plan.

This project will focus on respiratory pathogens e.g. MRSA, Moraxella catarrhalis. The interplay between bacteria, host and air pollution will be investigated using molecular microbiology, omic analysis, tissue cell culture, and advanced imaging microscopy techniques. This is an exciting, inter-disciplinary project with healthcare implications.

There will be an opportunity to investigate the effect of particulates on bacterial membrane lipids using neutron technology with co-supervisors at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.

Ramsheh. 2021. The Lancet Microbe 2(7) e300-e310. Hussey 2017. Environmental Microbiology 19(5) 1868-1880. Purves 2022. Environmental Microbiology. doi:10.1111/1462-292016076, Sampson NPJ 2025. Biofilms Microbiomes. 11(1):2

How exposure to copper changes MRSA antibiotic resistance and ability to cause infection.

See the PhD Opportunities section to see if this project is currently open for applications via MIBTP.

Please Note: The main page lists projects via BBSRC Research Theme(s) quoted and then relevant Topic(s).

How exposure to copper changes MRSA antibiotic resistance and ability to cause infection.

Secondary Supervisor(s): Dr Joan Geoghegan

University of Registration: University of Leicester

BBSRC Research Themes:

Understanding the Rules of Life (Microbiology)

Project Outline

Excess copper is highly toxic and forms part of the host innate immune system's antibacterial arsenal, accumulating at sites of infection and acting within macrophages to kill pathogens.

All bacteria possess mechanisms to resist the toxicity of the essential micronutrient copper. Our data show that epidemic methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have acquired additional resistance mechanisms that confer copper-hyper resistance and increased resistance to killing by macrophages. Metal pollution and acquisition of hyper-metal resistance has the additional impact that acquisition of genes to combat metal toxicity increases the infectivity of pathogens and alters the balance of microbial communities.

Our recent data show that copper at relevant biological concentrations changes MRSA expression of antibiotic resistance, virulence and immune evasion factors and alters the interaction of MRSA with human epithelial cells. Therefore, metal exposure has the potential to increase AMR and alter colonisation of epidemic MRSA. However, the mechanisms of how copper increases antibiotic resistance and host interaction are still undefined.

The aim of this project is to further investigate how copper exposure increases infectivity of MRSA.

Objectives are to

1. Establish molecular mechanisms involved in the copper regulation of antibiotic resistance and virulence.

2. Determine the importance of copper-regulated metabolic pathways in the colonisation of the host.

The student will be part of a lively and friendly interdisciplinary research group and will be trained in a wide range of microbiology, omics methodologies, tissue culture, advanced microscopy. The student will benefit from being part of large inter-disciplinary Health Protection Research Unit (HPRU) funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) involving UoL, UKHSA and HSE.

Purves 2018 Environ Microbiol. 20:1576-1589; Zapotoczna 2018 MBio. 2018 9(5). pii e00550-1